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Nespresso, good enough for an Americano?

I like cafe americanos but I don't want the expense ($400 for a decent set-up?), mess and obession that goes along with owning an expresso machine.

I had one of those Mr. Coffee-type espresso machines years ago.
I found the entire experience too much work for too little result.

I know Nespresso doesn't produce a true expresso, but appears to be easy to use and not too expensive. I also don't drink coffee every day so I don't use coffee beans quickly enough to be able to keep a descently fresh batch available at all times.

For those of you who have tried it does it produce a good americano?

I would like to try before I buy, but have been unable to locate a store willing to let me taste before I buy.

I know many espresso purists will shudder at the thought, but SOME of the nespresso pots can actually produce a better than decent cup of espresso. My mother owns an espresso bar, and was so impressed with one of the nespresso machines that she almost bought one for her house. Until she saw the price that is.....

As far as trying them out, see if there is a Sur La Table in your area. The one by me has 8 or 9 of the Nespresso (and other similar brands) machines that you can try out.

The lower end models can't make coffee, let alone espresso. In fact some of the cheaper ones really just make dirty water with no real flavor. But some of the higher end (read: more expensive) models actually do quite a good job.

I've never really understood the need to make this type of coffee drink from espresso. I much prefer to make a decent filter coffee than espresso with hot water.

What I would say, if making Americano from a Nespresso machine is this; warm you cup/mug first, then pull the espresso through and add hot water from the kettle. I had a friend who used to just let the water keep coming through until the cup/mug was full, and the result was astonishingly gruesome. If you have ever tasted an espresso where the grinds have been used twice, this gets close to the taste. Yuck!

I went to Japan on holiday and brought back a Hario vacuum maker. Brilliant. A bit of a faff, but makes great consistent filter coffee every time.

Yes, the Nespresso is "good enough" for an Americano for most people (not me, though). Yes, the Aeropress is quite a bit better, but many will not want to put up with the mess and fuss of using one. The Nespresso is quick and easy, and makes at least a better cup than Starbucks.

I have a automatic espresso machine by DeLonghi that takes Nespresso pods. It makes all manner of espresso drinks wonderfully. Excellent crema, never bitter, many different types of beans/blends to choose from. Mine is one of the more expensive models, but I have a friend that has an inexpensive one and the espresso is still pretty damn good. No mess/clean-up, GREAT espresso, takes less than 3 minutes. Nothing but good things to say about the system.

A big +1 to finding a Sur La Table in your area...you can try espresso from any of the machines.